Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $3.94 Million Position in A. O. Smith Corporation $AOS

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in shares of A. O. Smith Corporation (NYSE:AOS) by 128.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,200 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in A. O. Smith were worth $3,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AOS. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 3,125.0% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 387 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of A. O. Smith by 44,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in A. O. Smith during the second quarter worth $30,000. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP increased its position in A. O. Smith by 988.9% during the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in A. O. Smith during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other A. O. Smith news, SVP Darrell W. Schuh sold 356 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.89, for a total value of $28,440.84. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 3,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $263,237.55. This represents a 9.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

A. O. Smith Price Performance

NYSE AOS opened at $77.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.78. A. O. Smith Corporation has a twelve month low of $58.83 and a twelve month high of $81.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.50.

A. O. Smith (NYSE:AOS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.06. A. O. Smith had a return on equity of 29.51% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $912.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that A. O. Smith Corporation will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

A. O. Smith Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. A. O. Smith’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of A. O. Smith in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on A. O. Smith and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $69.00 target price on A. O. Smith and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $78.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of A. O. Smith in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of A. O. Smith from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, A. O. Smith currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.00.

About A. O. Smith

A. O. Smith Corporation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products for residential and commercial applications. Since its founding in 1874, the company has built a reputation for producing reliable, energy-efficient water heaters, boilers and pressure vessels. Its product portfolio encompasses gas, electric, condensing and tankless water heaters, as well as specialty boilers designed to meet a variety of building and industrial needs.

The company operates through two primary segments: North America and Asia.